Share this:

It’s been an up-and-down year for college basketball, with the best teams in the country trading the top spot. Without any individual players standing out, either, that means the NCAA Tournament is harder than ever to predict.

Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga and Kansas have gained the top seeds, but their chances are threatened by a strong field. Gonzaga has a chance to be the first mid-major to take the championship since UNLV in 1990, but the Zags will have to get past Ohio State, Wisconsin and Mexico in the West region. Louisville has the top overall seed but a rocky path, with Michigan State and Duke also in its Midwest region. Kansas will face challenges from Florida, Georgetown and March Madness favorite VCU in the South, while Indiana has to contend with Miami in the East.

NESN.com’s Zack Cox and Jen Slothower took a look at the tournament and their individual picks, weeding out the trouble teams and predicting which ones should be able to make a deep run. They also talked about this year’s lack of a star player (so far) and what John Calipari‘s Kentucky Wildcats losing in the NIT means for college basketball.

Listen to the latest podcast episode in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download it there.